It
It is the singularity of black holes
a swarm of hummingbird hawk-moths
the insatiable hunger of caterpillars
smile of a camel, song of a nightingale
the moon frail as the edge of a fingernail –
It is dirty as a clam, economical as ants
dark as a pocket, convenient as money
nervous as a squirrel, close as a box turtle
an ostentation of peacocks, a siege of herons –
It is hardy as grass, fragile as a tiger
words sleeping between the covers of a book
a fanatic hiding his doubt, a sceptic his faith –
It is an unkindness of ravens, an exaltation of larks
the spitefulness of philanthropists, a plague of poets –
It is none of the above.
Shanta Acharya is the author of twelve books. Her recent poetry collections are What Survives Is The Singing (Indigo Dreams Publishing, UK; 2020) and Imagine: New and Selected Poems (HarperCollins, India; 2017). www.shanta-acharya.com